


one dollar rare bird

by clxude



Series: fifty cent glow stick au [5]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Anime Spoilers, Established Relationship, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, general cuteness, glow stick au, how could i forget that, this au is very important to me, written after 230 but before 231 so who knows what's going to happen, you'll have to pry it away from my cold dead hands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-08-30 21:37:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8550010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clxude/pseuds/clxude
Summary: Nationals are starting; Shouyou is nervous; Tsutomu attempts being romantic. All are carried out with varying degrees of success.





	

**Author's Note:**

> title based on flicker wings by black bear _(And she is a rare bird, and I am a bird watcher)_ and the general aesthetic of this fic, which goshihina is ruining because THEY'RE ALL TOO LONG  
>  me: it'll be like 500 words no sweat  
> word count: 2487 words  
> me: oh no  
> betad by sarcasticspacenerd. also rey wants ennotana to get a fic so look forward to that!!  
> also you need to write dollar boy, dollar game to understand this!!!

Shouyou has never been good at sitting still. That’s a good thing when it comes to playing volleyball - you need quick reactions and sharp instincts and the drive to keep going, even when you’re dead. It’s not good, however, when the entire team is trying to sleep in a cramped room the night before nationals begin.

 

The tenth time he rolls over in half as many minutes, Kageyama kicks him in the shin. It doesn’t hurt much with all of the blankets in the way, but it still catches Shouyou off guard. 

 

“Stop moving, dumbass,” he grumbles, voice blurred by blankets and pillows.

 

“You stop moving, Bakayama!” Shouyou shoots back, so loud that Takeda-sensei shushes him from the next room. 

 

“Sorry!” he squeaks, only slightly more quiet. 

 

Shouyou is exhausted, just like the rest of the team, but the text message Tsutomu sent him just a few hours prior keeps him restless. He can’t settle down when the words keep circling around his head -  _ we’re coming to watch your game!! what time is karasuno playing? _

 

It hasn’t been all that long since he saw his soulmate - two days, a few hours. Shouyou’s been keeping track for a reason he’s yet to find an explanation for. But, it is the first time Tsutomu will get to watch him play from sidelines. The first time Tsutomu will really be able to see him.

 

Shouyou isn't terrified, or at least not any more than he was before finals back in Sendai. But he is worried that he’ll fuck up, that Karasuno will lose in their first match, that the third years will have to retire after everything they gave with nothing to show for it, that Shouyou beat his soulmate and stopped him from going to Nationals for nothing.

 

He starts to move, only for Kageyama to kick him again, this time to the upper thigh. Shouyou attempts to keep quiet this time with little success, before climbing out of his futon. He yanks on a sweatshirt - Tsutomu’s, baggy and too long on Shouyou. He left it in Shouyou’s room the last time he came over. Shouyou intends to wear it as often as he can before Tsutomu manages to steal it back.

 

“Where are you going, Hinata?” Daichi calls. 

 

“Outside for a bit. I’ll be back soon.” 

 

He slips outside before Daichi or anyone else on the team can respond. 

 

…

 

It’s raining in Tokyo - nothing hard, just a cold drizzle. 

 

Shouyou stands underneath the awning of the ryokan, watching the rainwater hit the pavement. The middle blocker is still restless, even after going running with Bakayama and Stingyshima, but he knows if he catches a cold a few hours before nationals, the entire team will gang up to murder him. Even Yamaguchi and Yachi would join in, probably, but for Yachi it would most likely be out of love. Or something. Shouyou shivers at the thought. 

 

He pulls his hands into the sleeves of Tsutomu’s hoodie. It’s not that cold, only sixty degrees, but something about being all alone at midnight leaves goosebumps to rise all over his skin. He considers calling his soulmate for half of a second before squashing down the thought. Tsutomu is probably exhausted from school and the subsequent bus ride to Tokyo, just like Shouyou should be.

 

And if he calls, Tsutomu will be upset about how they barely ever have time to be together, what with school and volleyball practice, or he’ll worry for Karasuno, like the rest of the Miyagi teams and Karasuno students aren’t worried enough as it is. Besides, he’ll see Tsutomu tomorrow, anyway. 

 

Shouyou takes a deep breath. 

 

There’s no need to worry - Karasuno will do fine.

 

Shouyou will do fine.

 

…

 

Shouyou isn’t doing fine. 

 

He’s throwing up as soon as he makes his way into the bathroom the next morning, with Kageyama standing outside the door, yelling at him, and Takeda-sensei talking to Shouyou’s mother on the phone.

 

“You shouldn’t have gone outside in the rain, dumbass!”

 

Shouyou opens his mouth to retort, only to shut it immediately, cut off by the rising urge to gag. 

 

“You’re really not helping, Kageyama-kun,” Sugawara comments. “I really doubt this is because of last night.”

 

“Yeah, Bakayama. It’s not - “ 

 

Shouyou throws up again before he can finish.

 

…

 

As if to spite the first year setter, that’s the last time Shouyou throws up that morning. The team is able to leave the ryokan an hour later, right on time. Shouyou chokes down as much Pepto Bismol as Takeda-sensei dares to give him, wrinkling his nose when the bitter pill capsules begin to dissolve on his tongue.

 

The bus ride is fairly uneventful, even if it is plagued by early morning Tokyo traffic, a constant cycle of stop and go. Kageyama had complained about sitting next to Shouyou at first, shouted about how the first year would throw up on him just like Shouyou threw up on Tanaka’s lap all those months ago, but had eventually settled down before passing out completely, snoring softly, resting his head against the window.

 

Shouyou hopes he smacks his head hard enough to get a concussion, but not until after the finals. Shouyou still wants to spike as many balls as possible and win, after all. It will be only slightly more difficult if Kageyama receives serious head trauma and can’t play.

 

Only slightly, of course. Like Shouyou still needs Kageyama in order to win.

 

…

 

As the bus pulls into the gymnasium parking lot, Tsutomu texts Shouyou. It’s short, a few words and a string of emojis. Shiratorizawa is heading to the tournament now, and will arrive in time to watch Karasuno’s first game.

 

Shouyou texts back a heart and a few exclamation, and that’s that. All that’s left is to play.

 

…

 

Shouyou spends all of warm ups watching the stands for the arrival of Shiratorizawa. He trips over more than a few balls, screws up a receive or two and takes them to the face instead. When he misses a quick, Kageyama grabs a ball from the cart and chucks it at Shouyou’s face. The middle blocker manages to duck out of the way, but the message is still clear. 

 

_ Get it together, Shouyou. Tsutomu didn’t come all this way to watch you mess up.  _

 

He makes the next spike, sending it straight down, just like he did before the Miyagi finals. 

 

Somewhere in the stands, Karasuno fans erupt into cheers. As soon as he lands, Shouyou is back to searching through the crowds for Shiratorizawa. It only takes a few seconds to spot number five, with his bright red hair. Beside him sits the rest of his team. Shouyou looks at all of the seats around the middle blocker, but doesn’t see Tsutomu anywhere. 

 

“Stop looking at your boyfriend and pay attention to the court!” Kageyama orders.

 

“I’m not looking at him!” Shouyou shouts back. 

 

_ I can’t do that,  _ he leaves unsaid,  _ when he’s not here.  _

 

He keeps looking at Shiratorizawa, and eventually, Tendou waves and flashes a heart. Shouyou frowns. 

 

Tsutomu should be here by now, sitting with the rest of the team.

 

The buzzer rings, signaling the end of warms up and the beginning of the match. Shouyou doesn’t have any more time to worry about where Tsutomu, which, when it comes down to it, is probably for the best.

 

…

 

When Shouyou and Kageyama’s first quick of the match scores a point against Akikawa, Shouyou can hear Tsutomu cheering. He’s not quite sure how, with how packed the gymnasium is, but he looks up to where Shiratorizawa is sitting and waves frantically. Tsutomu waves back just as hard. Ushiwaka nods, as solemn as ever.

 

Shouyou doesn’t know when Tsutomu showed up, or why he was late, or why it looks like he’s sharing seats with Tendou and the spiky haired libero, but he’s here now, cheering on Shouyou. 

 

Shouyou is going to win, so screw whatever anyone else says. He’s going to win, and keep on winning until there is no one else to defeat. 

 

…

 

Thirty minutes later, Karasuno loses the second set. 

 

Shouyou blames himself, even if he knows he shouldn’t. The set was close the entire time, ending at 28/26, so it could have been worse, all things considered. 

 

But it’s still Hinata’s quick getting blocked, his inability to block and receive powerful hits that lead to playing extra sets. 

 

“We’ll take the next set,” Ukai says, even as Akikawa’s fans begin to scream and shout, filling the room with cheers and cries of their school's name. It’s disheartening and makes the situation all the more dire. “You beat powerhouses like Seijoh and Shiratorizawa. We can win this, as long as you all stay level headed and keep connecting with the ball. Keep up the defense and don’t hold back on the offense, and you’ll be fine. Got it?”

 

The team members nod before heading back onto the court.

 

_ “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go Karasuno!” _

 

It’s quiet at first, uncoordinated and washed out by Akikawa so heavily that Shouyou thinks he’s imagining it. 

 

_ “Push it, push it Karasuno!”  _

 

It’s louder now - Shouyou’s not making it up. 

 

Almost in sync, Karasuno turns to look at Shiratorizawa. Tsutomu’s hands are cupped around his mouth, standing up to lead the cheer. Tendou and a few of the wing spikers are up as well, hitting empty water bottles together. 

 

It’s not as loud or as practiced as Akikawa, but it kicks Karasuno back into drive. 

 

They win the set, and there’s barely a moment that Shiratorizawa doesn’t spend of it cheering on the crows. 

 

…

 

The fourth set is tense, volley after volley, serve after serve. 

 

Karasuno manages to keep the lead, always two points ahead. It’s not a comfortable distance by any means, but it’s better than one point. Akikawa scores a point, Karasuno takes two back. It’s nail biting, but as long as Akikawa doesn’t take another, they’ll be fine.

 

…

 

It happens, eventually. Akikawa scores twice in a row at the last second, bringing it up to 24/23. 

 

Shouyou wipes sweat off of his face with the collar of his jersey, digs the toe of his shoe into the court. Karasuno only needs one point to end this and move onto the next game. Only one point, it should be easy.

 

But it has never been early to shift momentum. The team with a two point break will be more likely to get the third. It’ll be even easier for Akikawa, when they put in their pinch serve with a wicked jump. One point,  _ one -  _

 

“Give ‘em Hell, Shouyou!” Tsutomu yells. 

 

Shouyou turns around to see a second of Tsutomu’s blushing face before he’s hiding it in his hands, but it’s all he needs. A second of Tsutomu’s proud smile - and Shouyou knows he can win.

 

“Your soulmate is almost as annoying as you, Hinata-kun.”

 

“Shut up, Stingyshima!” Shouyou turns his back on the stands to glare at the other middle blocker. “You’re just jealous that people like Yamaguchi-kun more.”

 

Tsukishima glances at the pinch server in question. He blushes faintly and will most likely blame in on over exertion later, before saying, “Pay attention to the serve, Shrimp.”

 

The serve comes over the net a few seconds after the referee blows his whistle, heading for a few feet ahead of Daichi. The captain receives it cleanly, sending it to Kageyama.

 

There’s no question about it, when Shouyou starts running to where there aren’t any Akikawa blockers. It’s just him and the ball - left, right, left, jump, turn and  _ swing -  _

 

And there’s no one there, empty court and the sound of the ball hitting the ground. The buzzer rings, the scoreboard reads 25-23, Karasuno-Akikawa. 

 

Shouyou gave Akikawa hell, end of story.

 

He turns to Kageyama, grinning hard.

 

“We get to play again.” 

 

…

 

Tsutomu finds Karasuno’s locker room thirty minutes later. The team is stretching, Yachi is freaking out because  _ “oh god there’s more what if I didn’t pack enough bandaids?”,  _ and Kageyama is filing his nails and clicking his tongue because one of them broke. 

 

Tsutomu hugs Shouyou from behind before the middle blocker even notices the other team, sending out pale purple light, and presses an envelope into his stomach.

 

“Stop it!” Shouyou laughs, trying to escape Tsutomu’s grasp. Their tattoos flicker, but the color remains bright. “I’m sweaty.”

 

“I doubt it’s the first time,” Tendou comments from the doorway, never taking his eyes off of his phone. “It wouldn’t surprise me if Goshiki-kun was into that.”

 

“Shut up! You and Ushijima-san were - “

 

Tendou’s eyes flash dangerously. “I dare you to finish that. I didn’t offer to take you to see Shrimpy-chan just to be kinkshamed.”

 

The entire locker room silences in an instant, but Tendou looks unperturbed when he returns his focus to his phone screen

 

It’s awkward for a moment, until Shouyou thanks Tsutomu for coming to watch him play.

 

“I wanted to, anyway. I’m sorry for being late.”

 

“It’s fine! I was like  _ gwa!!!  _ when I heard you cheering. It was very - motivating?” He cocks his head to the side, thinking. “Yeah, motivating!” 

 

“I meant to come on time, but then I realized I didn’t have anything to give you, and then I couldn’t find a store that sold volleyball themed cards near here, so then I had to google a store that did, but I had to ride on the subway, and then I got lost - “

 

Shouyou kisses his cheek in an attempt to get him to stop rambling, but he just keeps talking, faster now, like nothing had happened, even if he was blushing slightly now as the lilac light fades.

 

“But then I found the store and picked out a card, and then got lost on the way back. But then I was here! And I got to see your quick!” Tsutomu grins, and offers Shouyou that card again. 

 

Shouyou rips it open as soon as he has his hands on it. It’s a soft cream color, with the outline of a volleyball player jumping up to serve embossed in shiny black ink. Inside,  _ congratulations!  _ is written in pencil, Tsutomu’s name a few centimeters below. 

 

“I didn’t realize until halfway through the match that I didn’t have a backup for in case you lost,” Tsutomu apologizes. “I guess I just knew that you wouldn’t.”

 

Shouyou jumps on his soulmate, wrapping his arms around the first year’s shoulders to kiss him hard. Tsutomu takes a step back but doesn’t drop him, kissing back just as eagerly. Shouyou doesn’t think the glow has ever been so bright - he can still see it, even with his eyes closed tightly.

 

“Oi!” shouts Kageyama. “Stop being gross.”

 

Shouyou pulls away from Tsutomu’s lips to stick his tongue out at the setter.

 

“Hey, I think it’s sweet,” Sugawara argues. “At least they’re not feeling each other up in public restroom.” He turns to stare pointedly at Ennoshita and Tanaka, who are talking to each other, both too caught up to realize what’s going on. 

 

“Yeah,” Shouyou whispers, tucking his head in the crook of Tsutomu’s neck, basking in lavender. “Cute.”

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you like it. i'll probably write more for this ship in the au  
> kudos are cool. comments are cool as well. both are cooler  
> requests at mother-iwa-chan are also cool, if you're into that


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